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Comment: In Defence Of John Aloisi
Goal.com's Chris Paraskevas was at the Sydney Football Stadium to listen to a chorus of boos directed at former World Cup hero John Aloisi...
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Dec 22, 2008 6:20:09 AM
Was it only three years ago that John Aloisi immortalised himself in Australian football folklore with one swoop of his left leg?
How fickle the football fan can be.
As I watched the $1.4 million man suffer what must be some of the worst treatment of a Sydney FC player by his own crowd, an image of Fabian Carini struggling to get near his perfect spot-kick flashed in my mind.
Here is the man who literally took Australia to the World Cup, abused by the same city that saw him do it.
Of course, the majority of the disappointingly small crowd at the Sydney Football Stadium will tell you that the price they have paid for transport, tickets and parking gives them the right to boo a highly-paid international who can’t score in front of an open goal.
And perhaps they have a point.
I must admit that I haven’t been the biggest supporter of Sydney FC’s move for Aloisi, with his abilities as a marquee signing limited both in a publicity and playing capacity.
As Dave Mitchell’s Perth Glory outfit dismantled John Kosmina’s woeful side on Sunday afternoon, it was Aloisi who suddenly became the fall guy for pundits and punters alike.
The defensive fragility of Sydney’s back-line was quickly overshadowed by two horrific first-half misses by the club's top-earning goal-getter. The image of one sky blue-clad fan yelling an impressive array of expletives at the former Alaves striker epitomised a frustration shared by the 12,000 watching fans (excluding the five Perth followers populating the away section).
In normal circumstances, I’d be the first to nod my head in agreement with the teeming masses at Moore Park.
But the image of the 32-year-old jogging off to a chorus of boos early in the second half, ignored by his manager as he slumped down at the end of the substitute’s bench, stirred in me an emotion that I never expected to associate with a man who injured himself shooting a commercial before the start of the A-League season:
Sympathy.
Yes, Aloisi has only scored two goals for Sydney this season, his lack of mobility more of a hindrance than a help to team-mates in the final third of the pitch.
But criticism of the striker merely detracts attention from the problems Sydney face as a collective football side – and a club.
For one, an inability to perform even the most basic of defensive functions was the source of their downfall against what was simply an organised but unspectacular Perth Glory outfit.
Time and time again the experienced Ian Fyfe was caught ball-watching in around his own penalty area, often on the wrong side of his marker and inexplicably offering the effervescent Nikita Rukavytsya a veritable meadow in which to construct his side’s opening goal.
Clint Bolton was anything but assured between the Sydney goal-posts, a lapse in concentration gifting Perth the corner from which they scored their second – Nikolai Topor Stanley virtually unchallenged as he rose to head the ball into the thigh of Anthony Golec, who endured a torrid afternoon in a full-back role with which he is conspicuously uncomfortable.
Time and time again he was exposed for a lack of pace, the absence of attacking activity down Sydney’s left allowing Perth to devote extra men to a troublesome right where the tireless Shannon Cole and Robbie Middleby were eventually nullified as a forward threat.
In midfield, the youthful duo of Stuart Musialik and Brendan Gan were simply outnumbered and outmuscled by Wayne Shroj and Marc Antony, forcing them to drop deep and pick up possession from their own back-line, rendering useless Gan’s pace and attacking instincts in and around the penalty area.
What resulted was an oft direct style of football that suited neither Aloisi nor Steve Corica, whose occupation of the ‘hole’ in between striker and midfield went without service or support from his team-mates.
Such was Aloisi’s plight that he was often surrounded by three Glory defenders, central defensive partners Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Jamie Harnwell in imperious aerial form and generally outmuscling the former Osasuna forward.
A lack of service into his feet meant the striker was forced to fashion two opportunities for himself, one from a set-piece and the other from open play – both of which he missed.
As glaring as the opportunities were, Aloisi’s misfortune in front of goal was simply exacerbated by his inability to contribute tangibly to his side’s performance in a non goal-scoring capacity, borne out of an inept system set-out by John Kosmina that was ill-suited to the players at his disposal.
The personnel choices that have been made at Sydney further contribute to the malaise of Aloisi, whose lack of pace is countered by an experience that can only benefit quick, youthful players surrounding him.
With no such players immediately running off him and helping to relieve the pressure on him, the ageing striker will continue to be outnumbered and one-dimensional.
As creative as Steve Corica is, his guile does not bring with it an explosiveness that would benefit any potential hold-up play and vision that Aloisi has to offer.
It is a stark contrast to the support that the elusive Rukavytsya provides for Eugene Dadi, whose irrepressible performance at the Sydney Football Stadium was made possible by the speed of the supporting players who complimented his strength on the ball.
Kosmina’s 4-4-1-1 system isolated Aloisi and offered him no such support and what resulted was a disjointed team performance, with the blame not lying entirely with the striker. Missed opportunities are simply part of the life of a forward.
The issues which plague Sydney currently are instead borne out of a recruitment policy and tactical philosophy that are perhaps not in harmony.
And booing Aloisi won’t solve the problem.
Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com
How fickle the football fan can be.
As I watched the $1.4 million man suffer what must be some of the worst treatment of a Sydney FC player by his own crowd, an image of Fabian Carini struggling to get near his perfect spot-kick flashed in my mind.
Here is the man who literally took Australia to the World Cup, abused by the same city that saw him do it.
Of course, the majority of the disappointingly small crowd at the Sydney Football Stadium will tell you that the price they have paid for transport, tickets and parking gives them the right to boo a highly-paid international who can’t score in front of an open goal.
And perhaps they have a point.
I must admit that I haven’t been the biggest supporter of Sydney FC’s move for Aloisi, with his abilities as a marquee signing limited both in a publicity and playing capacity.
As Dave Mitchell’s Perth Glory outfit dismantled John Kosmina’s woeful side on Sunday afternoon, it was Aloisi who suddenly became the fall guy for pundits and punters alike.
The defensive fragility of Sydney’s back-line was quickly overshadowed by two horrific first-half misses by the club's top-earning goal-getter. The image of one sky blue-clad fan yelling an impressive array of expletives at the former Alaves striker epitomised a frustration shared by the 12,000 watching fans (excluding the five Perth followers populating the away section).
In normal circumstances, I’d be the first to nod my head in agreement with the teeming masses at Moore Park.
But the image of the 32-year-old jogging off to a chorus of boos early in the second half, ignored by his manager as he slumped down at the end of the substitute’s bench, stirred in me an emotion that I never expected to associate with a man who injured himself shooting a commercial before the start of the A-League season:
Sympathy.
Yes, Aloisi has only scored two goals for Sydney this season, his lack of mobility more of a hindrance than a help to team-mates in the final third of the pitch.
But criticism of the striker merely detracts attention from the problems Sydney face as a collective football side – and a club.
For one, an inability to perform even the most basic of defensive functions was the source of their downfall against what was simply an organised but unspectacular Perth Glory outfit.
Time and time again the experienced Ian Fyfe was caught ball-watching in around his own penalty area, often on the wrong side of his marker and inexplicably offering the effervescent Nikita Rukavytsya a veritable meadow in which to construct his side’s opening goal.
Clint Bolton was anything but assured between the Sydney goal-posts, a lapse in concentration gifting Perth the corner from which they scored their second – Nikolai Topor Stanley virtually unchallenged as he rose to head the ball into the thigh of Anthony Golec, who endured a torrid afternoon in a full-back role with which he is conspicuously uncomfortable.
Time and time again he was exposed for a lack of pace, the absence of attacking activity down Sydney’s left allowing Perth to devote extra men to a troublesome right where the tireless Shannon Cole and Robbie Middleby were eventually nullified as a forward threat.
In midfield, the youthful duo of Stuart Musialik and Brendan Gan were simply outnumbered and outmuscled by Wayne Shroj and Marc Antony, forcing them to drop deep and pick up possession from their own back-line, rendering useless Gan’s pace and attacking instincts in and around the penalty area.
What resulted was an oft direct style of football that suited neither Aloisi nor Steve Corica, whose occupation of the ‘hole’ in between striker and midfield went without service or support from his team-mates.
Such was Aloisi’s plight that he was often surrounded by three Glory defenders, central defensive partners Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Jamie Harnwell in imperious aerial form and generally outmuscling the former Osasuna forward.
A lack of service into his feet meant the striker was forced to fashion two opportunities for himself, one from a set-piece and the other from open play – both of which he missed.
As glaring as the opportunities were, Aloisi’s misfortune in front of goal was simply exacerbated by his inability to contribute tangibly to his side’s performance in a non goal-scoring capacity, borne out of an inept system set-out by John Kosmina that was ill-suited to the players at his disposal.
The personnel choices that have been made at Sydney further contribute to the malaise of Aloisi, whose lack of pace is countered by an experience that can only benefit quick, youthful players surrounding him.
With no such players immediately running off him and helping to relieve the pressure on him, the ageing striker will continue to be outnumbered and one-dimensional.
As creative as Steve Corica is, his guile does not bring with it an explosiveness that would benefit any potential hold-up play and vision that Aloisi has to offer.
It is a stark contrast to the support that the elusive Rukavytsya provides for Eugene Dadi, whose irrepressible performance at the Sydney Football Stadium was made possible by the speed of the supporting players who complimented his strength on the ball.
Kosmina’s 4-4-1-1 system isolated Aloisi and offered him no such support and what resulted was a disjointed team performance, with the blame not lying entirely with the striker. Missed opportunities are simply part of the life of a forward.
The issues which plague Sydney currently are instead borne out of a recruitment policy and tactical philosophy that are perhaps not in harmony.
And booing Aloisi won’t solve the problem.
Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
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